A conventional plate type heat exchanger generally consists of a plurality of heat exchanger plates, forming spatially separated but thermally connected fluid channels through which fluid streams with a different temperature are allowed to flow. This enables heat transfer to take place from the hotter fluid to the colder fluid.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,516 a plate type heat exchanger is known, having a heat exchanger assembly or core consisting of heat exchanger plates, which is enclosed within a rigid frame consisting of corner beams and end panels. Elastic seals are provided between the core and the casing. Four sealing elements are provided between the core and the corner beams, in order to prevent leakage of fluids that are supplied to the fluid channels. Furthermore, two pairs of sealing elements are provided between the core and the top and bottom end panels.
The disadvantage of the known heat exchanger is that the latter sealing elements are indispensable in the connection between the heat exchanger core and the frame, due to the expected differential thermal expansion between the heat exchanger core and the frame during use. The construction and mounting of these sealing elements is a delicate and error-prone process, increasing the costs of production and maintenance.